In the following of the present description reference will be mainly made to peristaltic dosing pumps. However, it must be noted that the peristaltic pump according to the invention may be also different from a dosing pump and used in any hydraulic circuit for applications different from mixing, such as for instance dispensing of beverages or syrups, still remaining within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Moreover, in the following reference will be made to a peristaltic pump having a specific shape devoid of projections on the side walls, that is compact and applicable to a wide variety of different structures. However, it must be noted that the peristaltic pump according to the invention may also have different shapes, still remaining within the scope of protection of the present invention.
It is known that mixing apparatuses are widespread. In particular, in the field of cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, such apparatuses allow both water-only treatment and addition of concentrated chemicals, such as for instance disinfectants, soaps, wet foams and dry foams. Such apparatuses comprise dosing pumps which contribute to mixing of the various substances with water and to dispensing the obtained mixture according to accurate dosages.
A commonly used type of dosing pump is the peristaltic pump, thanks to its generally simple operation that allows an accurate dosage. As known, a peristaltic pump comprises (at least) one tube that is squeezed by two or more rollers (or similar elements) with which a rotor set in rotation by an electric motor is provided; the ends of the tube are connected to a first and second ducts, each one of which is advantageously provided with a respective joint, and both the first and the second ducts may alternatively operate as inlet duct and as outlet duct, depending on the direction of rotation of the rotor. When the duct operating as inlet duct is connected to a fluid source (for instance a hydraulic supply or a tank), thanks to the pressure variations created in the various portions of the tube separated by the squeezing rollers, the fluid is aspirated in the tube and is dispensed from the duct operating as outlet duct.
Some prior art peristaltic pumps are disclosed in documents US 2007/0148010 A1, EP
However, the prior art peristaltic pumps suffer from some drawbacks.
In fact, the specific arrangements of the components of a pump are not easily accessible, since disassembly of the housing containing the same requires the removal of numerous elements ensuring its fixing, such as screws and bolts, and/or its electrical connection, such as power cables of the electric motor.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to make assembling and installation and maintenance interventions simple and fast and, consequently, inexpensive.